BY EMILY MEEKS, HIGH POINT ENTERPRISEA man sitting in jail for nearly a year on charges of killing a 28-year-old man in a crowded nightclub was released after prosecutors dismissed the charge last week.In March 2014, police charged Nathan Eugene Wilson, 42, with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection to the death of Gerald Dwayne Williamson Sr. Both are from High Point.Prosecutors dismissed the charge against Wilson on Feb. 25 due to a lack of evidence, according to court documents.Williamson was shot on Feb. 28, 2014, during a birthday party at Kenzie’s Event Center at 401 Brentwood St. just after midnight. More than 100 people were inside the nightclub when gunshots were fired. He was shot multiple times in the chest, hip, thigh and groin, according to the autopsy report.Despite the multiple 911 calls implicating the shooter as someone named “Goodfoot,” none of the witnesses at the scene were talking, according to the case file. About a month into the investigation, police arrested Wilson after two witnesses and 18 Crimestoppers tips identified him as Goodfoot and the shooter, the file said.Wilson, who has “Goodfoot” tattooed on his right forearm, a nickname given to him in childhood, was served with the murder charge while in jail on unrelated charges, including nonpayment of child support, marijuana possession, common law robbery, assault on a female and habitual felon, according to court documents.But prosecutors determined that the evidence collected by the High Point Police Department wasn’t enough to take to trial, said Walt Jones, a Guilford County assistant district attorney and top prosecutor in High Point.“There wasn’t a sufficient amount of evidence to result in a conviction, in our opinion,” Jones said. “So, in the interest of justice, instead of allowing jeopardy to attach itself, we’ve decided on a dismissal so the case can carry on.”If the case had gone to trial and Wilson had been acquitted based on the lack of evidence, he could not be tried again on the same charges. And that’s a risk prosecutors weren’t willing to take. By dismissing the case, police have a chance to bring back charges against Wilson, “if more evidence can be secured,” said High Point Police Chief Marty Sumner.“If it was the decision of the district attorney not to move forward with the case, I respect that decision, and we’ll keep working on it,” he said. “(The prosecutor) consulted us before he did that and told us everything they need to have in order for them to feel comfortable prosecuting the case. He didn’t feel like he had enough evidence to win the trial at this time.”Wilson’s defense attorney, Dolly Manion, says she’s happy the charges against her client have been dismissed. But, she said, she’s “confused.”Manion said the two witnesses interviewed by police who claimed to have seen the shooting were not at the nightclub when the shooting happened. Wilson was held in jail for 11 months based on their statements, she said. Because of that, police did not have probable cause to hold Wilson in jail, according to Manion.One of the witnesses agreed to testify to get out of drug charges and the other wanted the bonds on multiple felony charges unsecured and reduced, she said.Manion said to her knowledge, police never interviewed the people each witness named as someone who could corroborate their stories. She also is accusing both High Point police and the district attorney’s office of delaying to present evidence against Wilson to the defense in the discovery hearings, “forgetting” to send evidence to the private lab and not having built a case before making an arrest in the homicide.“The DA said in court that they were still investigating,” Manion said. “You build a case and then you make an arrest. You don’t arrest them and then build a case. I think it’s put a really bad mark on our justice system. It’s very upsetting.”Manion claims that the district attorney’s office sent her an email just before Christmas saying they forgot to send the evidence to the private lab after her multiple inquiries.Jones wasn’t able to confirm whether or not the district attorney’s office forgot to send the evidence to the lab, but did say the DNA did not match Wilson and that the private lab made testing more expeditious than the state crime lab.“My feeling is that if they had done what they were supposed to do and gotten that stuff tested early, you know, he would’ve more than likely been out sooner,” Manion said. “I’m just wondering at what point they decided that their witnesses weren’t believable, because they knew about their criminal record and they certainly knew their motivation in the beginning.”Manion said police failed to provide evidence to the defense, as required by the court, and the probable cause hearing, which is supposed to be held within the first 15 days a suspect has a first appearance in court, kept getting continued for months, she said.“They didn’t have probable cause to hold him,” she said, adding that Wilson “should never have been arrested.”“You can’t just take the word of somebody,” she said. “My client was held for 11 months based on their statements and their statements alone.”Both Sumner and Jones said there was sufficient probable cause to hold Wilson on the murder charges, just not enough to be confident in a conviction. Because the investigation is still open, neither Jones nor Sumner wanted to divulge the details of the case.“There could easily be a new development in this case next week,” Sumner said. “Obviously we want justice for the victim’s family. Although we would like to have our work vindicated, I would feel worse if we had moved forward and gotten an acquittal. (The victim) deserves justice and we’ll keep working to see if we can’t deliver that.”

A man sitting in jail for nearly a year on charges of killing a 28-year-old man in a crowded nightclub was released after prosecutors dismissed the charge last week.

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In March 2014, police charged Nathan Eugene Wilson, 42, with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection to the death of Gerald Dwayne Williamson Sr. Both are from High Point.

Prosecutors dismissed the charge against Wilson on Feb. 25 due to a lack of evidence, according to court documents.

Williamson was shot on Feb. 28, 2014, during a birthday party at Kenzie’s Event Center at 401 Brentwood St. just after midnight. More than 100 people were inside the nightclub when gunshots were fired. He was shot multiple times in the chest, hip, thigh and groin, according to the autopsy report.

Despite the multiple 911 calls implicating the shooter as someone named “Goodfoot,” none of the witnesses at the scene were talking, according to the case file. About a month into the investigation, police arrested Wilson after two witnesses and 18 Crimestoppers tips identified him as Goodfoot and the shooter, the file said.

Wilson, who has “Goodfoot” tattooed on his right forearm, a nickname given to him in childhood, was served with the murder charge while in jail on unrelated charges, including nonpayment of child support, marijuana possession, common law robbery, assault on a female and habitual felon, according to court documents.

But prosecutors determined that the evidence collected by the High Point Police Department wasn’t enough to take to trial, said Walt Jones, a Guilford County assistant district attorney and top prosecutor in High Point.

“There wasn’t a sufficient amount of evidence to result in a conviction, in our opinion,” Jones said. “So, in the interest of justice, instead of allowing jeopardy to attach itself, we’ve decided on a dismissal so the case can carry on.”

If the case had gone to trial and Wilson had been acquitted based on the lack of evidence, he could not be tried again on the same charges. And that’s a risk prosecutors weren’t willing to take. By dismissing the case, police have a chance to bring back charges against Wilson, “if more evidence can be secured,” said High Point Police Chief Marty Sumner.

“If it was the decision of the district attorney not to move forward with the case, I respect that decision, and we’ll keep working on it,” he said. “(The prosecutor) consulted us before he did that and told us everything they need to have in order for them to feel comfortable prosecuting the case. He didn’t feel like he had enough evidence to win the trial at this time.”

Manion said the two witnesses interviewed by police who claimed to have seen the shooting were not at the nightclub when the shooting happened. Wilson was held in jail for 11 months based on their statements, she said. Because of that, police did not have probable cause to hold Wilson in jail, according to Manion.

One of the witnesses agreed to testify to get out of drug charges and the other wanted the bonds on multiple felony charges unsecured and reduced, she said.Manion said to her knowledge, police never interviewed the people each witness named as someone who could corroborate their stories. She also is accusing both High Point police and the district attorney’s office of delaying to present evidence against Wilson to the defense in the discovery hearings, “forgetting” to send evidence to the private lab and not having built a case before making an arrest in the homicide.

“The DA said in court that they were still investigating,” Manion said. “You build a case and then you make an arrest. You don’t arrest them and then build a case. I think it’s put a really bad mark on our justice system. It’s very upsetting.”

Manion claims that the district attorney’s office sent her an email just before Christmas saying they forgot to send the evidence to the private lab after her multiple inquiries.

Jones wasn’t able to confirm whether or not the district attorney’s office forgot to send the evidence to the lab, but did say the DNA did not match Wilson and that the private lab made testing more expeditious than the state crime lab.

“My feeling is that if they had done what they were supposed to do and gotten that stuff tested early, you know, he would’ve more than likely been out sooner,” Manion said. “I’m just wondering at what point they decided that their witnesses weren’t believable, because they knew about their criminal record and they certainly knew their motivation in the beginning.”

Manion said police failed to provide evidence to the defense, as required by the court, and the probable cause hearing, which is supposed to be held within the first 15 days a suspect has a first appearance in court, kept getting continued for months, she said.

“They didn’t have probable cause to hold him,” she said, adding that Wilson “should never have been arrested.”

“You can’t just take the word of somebody,” she said. “My client was held for 11 months based on their statements and their statements alone.”

Both Sumner and Jones said there was sufficient probable cause to hold Wilson on the murder charges, just not enough to be confident in a conviction. Because the investigation is still open, neither Jones nor Sumner wanted to divulge the details of the case.

“There could easily be a new development in this case next week,” Sumner said. “Obviously we want justice for the victim’s family. Although we would like to have our work vindicated, I would feel worse if we had moved forward and gotten an acquittal. (The victim) deserves justice and we’ll keep working to see if we can’t deliver that.”